Lady SideEyeSally and same minds…More blending than that and she would had disappeared!! You guys are so hard to please!! I wish i could see how you dress all the time. What makes you so entitled to criticize her so harshly like that? it is not like you have never seen Amal dress up pricy items before! She worn a over 5k dress to do errands in LA, she worn a 6k outfit to go teach a class, she worn another over 4 k to visit her hubby on the set…and the list goes one and on… so Lady, i have seen you here since a long time ago, and for some reason you keep coming back. I wonder why, because you seem to have a love-hate relationship over Amal? You express yourself as if you did not know anything about her, but you do! You must do by now. So i dont get your criticism over stuff you cannot change. You need to either accept Amal as she seems to be for what we sense from her in some pictures, or, all that you will be doing will be frustrating her “fans” and yourself here, because you are pointing things that are rather irrelevant at this point, since you should know better by now and have come to peace with it. Try criticizing her for something else and not for how expensive her outfits to go to the post office are, because if you dont accept that, you are going to grow very bitter over here, because i dont see Amal changing that anytime soon! And in that case, you should vent such bitterness somewhere else! Either you come here to make a fair criticism or you come here to bash stuff that you or nobody cant change. Trying to make Amal become any of us wont happens, so get over it! I am glad she is sticking to herself! And the way George dress up is an obvious reflection on how accepting Amal is. She sees in him much bigger things and values and can careless if he is not dress up to her liking. I am sure she is not making any criticism on how he is dressing up, while many of us here cant stop criticizing her, and she is doing a great job compared to him. I wonder how miserable you make your husbands feel when he does not dress to your liking, ouch!! I can learn a couple things from Amal on how to accept others as they are. That is what we should try to focus on a bit, dont you think?

Ok, let me go fix my hair now, because it is all pulled up now ! Dam women, that is what you do to me!! That is why i prefer the company of MEN! /

From my professional point of view and experience: Somebody who – probably – has contracts with designers?!? Otherwise, one wouldn’t, not even Hollywood’s leading ladies who – compared to Amal – frequently repeat clothes and dress a lot more to the occasion.

Amal’s proclivity for high-end-wardrobe being worn for the most common occasions does not contribute for her being received any more by the public as sensible, down-to-earth and a woman who has more to offer than being a barrister-turned-clothes-horse. she’s losing credibility, slowly but surely. bad for her, good for us fashion-journalists ;-).

i really do wonder who is doing the PR for this couple – it’s desastrous.

Dear Erika, Amal already wore Alberta Ferretti before her wedding with George Clooney, I don’t think that it is a PR action. For sure Amal loves designers clothing and is never pictured without an expensive piece. It is her life and her money.

@Bloghost / Nati: Thank you very much for your response, i cannot reply directly (lack of reply-option). Agree and disagree with your statement.

Do you happen to know approximately the timeframe when Amal wore Ferretti pre-marriage? Would be of great help when researching. She was not exactly on our (my) radar before her marriage, and i do wonder if all of her outfits had been correctly identified back then (if at all). Our clientele/readers are more interested in fashion of international businesswomen, of high-ranking socialites and leading ladies of tinseltown than spouses of celebrities. Amal is neither, she seems to be drifting between categories, belonging to neither.

The question is: for what occasion does one wear designer brands. I think this designer-branded dress is way OTT for visiting a small town in Kentucky, while it may just be right for a dinner in a fancy restaurant in some metropolis.

As some posters pointed out, “STYLE” is not only about picking beautiful garments, it does include the knowledge of dressing properly to the sartorial level of an event. It also does not mean sporting new wardrobe every time one leaves the house. It’s also about the right proportions of things including the proper behaviour (like being in the centre of attention in Japan’s movie opening night instead of letting the actresses have their 15 minutes of fame).

You are right, of course, it’s their money and their lives. However, if obvious priorities are publicly displayed and money is being spent the way it is, naturally this raises criticism from the public / audience / readers.

So, on many levels, Amal’s behaviour really puzzles me, because things seem to be blown out of proportion, be it by the PR department, by George Clooney and his rather erratic behaviour or by Amal herself. She seems to approve being depicted in the media the way she is, otherwise she would slam on the brakes and cut down significantly, concentrating on her profession instead of red carpet events, some of which are anything but important.

We’re just in the middle of covering a charity project meeting of Melinda Gates with the Queen of Sweden – now, that is one heck of a lady who had a decent professional carreer herself before marrying a widely popular gentleman as well. 😉

As a woman pursuing a professional carreer myself, i simply wished Amal turned a little more ínto the Melinda Gates direction instead of the ‘real housewives of Hollywood’ direction.

I don’t think the color washes her out. You like the dress? Great. You don’t? Fine. Amal dresses to her own liking. I don’t think even George would criticize what she wears. Who are we to judge her clothing choices? What you think is not necessarily what Amal thinks.

Totally agree with you Belladonna and Nati….. Who are we, who is Erika to split hairs like she does when judging Amal ‘s clothing choices ? Sorry to say, certainly not an objective and professional fashion-journalist, not with such inane chatter which goes far beyond what is expected from a GOOD journalist.

Erika is losing credibility, quickly and surely. Actually I don’t believe one second that she is a fashion-journalist. :), it is more the ‘style’ of the gutter press.

I have a big question in mind : why can’t some ladies ( I don’t know any men like this) be happy to see a happy couple. OK, they have a lot of money, Amal wears expensive clothes ……. And so what ? It is their life, it is their money !

Can a fashion journalist not hold and express private opinions when they are ‘off-duty’? And why must you resort to an ad hominem attack? Surely if you truly believe in the sentiment of liberty which you wish to safeguard for Amal, you would respect the same liberty in others such as Erika to express her views?

Anna, i am here visiting this site for researching purposes and expressing my PERSONAL view. My PROFESSIONAL view you read in our magazine ;-). I for one am able to distinguish between the two, whereas you sem to have problems in doing so:

Anna, i have a feeling that Erika is “jon321” disguised. It seems the same kind of remarks jon321 used to make, same intentional bashing… one can see clearly she is not being subjective, more like she just wants to bash Amal. Real fashion journalists…would not even be commenting here and definitely not the types of tone that Erika uses.

“Anna, i have a feeling that Erika is “jon321″ disguised. It seems the same kind of remarks jon321 used to make, same intentional bashing… one can see clearly she is not being subjective, more like she just wants to bash Amal. Real fashion journalists…would not even be commenting here and definitely not the types of tone that Erika uses.”

How many personas do you have, Nadia? I’ve read you accusations a few times.
It is possible that more than one person finds Amal’s tastes questionable? I do too.

It is my opinion that her excessive need to don very expensive designer clothes for casual outings, time and time again, is beyond the pale.
However, in her defense, we’ve never seen such publicity as this when George visits his family and I’ve no doubt that she knew she’d end up on multiple media sites.
I don’t know if that’s really in her favour as I’m sure it isn’t just George’s doing, without her consent.
Let’s hope that in the future journalists (as if) stop confusing a human rights attorney with a human rights activist because, clearly, she isn’t the latter.
Can anyone here enlighten me as to any charity that Amal has given her time or money to?
Not exactly her fault as it’s her husband that is all too happy to exalt her ‘activism’.
You can say that’s it their money all you want but when she can’t walk out of the house with less than 5000 euros on her back, feet and shoulder?
It’s like when people have 18 karat gold fixtures. It’s disgusting when you think of all the people that haven’t clean water, forget about food.
And, I’m not talking about the red carpet, where the stars are usually lent dresses but I don’t know one other ‘celebrity’ that would lavish themselves in those wares on a daily basis.
She’s not Jaqueline Kennedy who, even she, wouldn’t be lauded for wearing designer clothes, in this day and time, as she once was.
Look at Michele Obama’s wardrobe. She’s in touch with societal needs and always looks chic, without having to spend to excess.
This is an age of awareness.
You can all swoon over and possibly even buy what Amal wears but I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing an endangered species nor would I spend in a month what could easily feed 10 families for a year, at least.
George had better take a closer look in his own backyard before he expects people to donate to his ‘Not on our watch’. Yes, people are watching.
If you want people to believe you, you’d better walk the walk.
How many displaced peoples from Darfur and Sudan would benefit from such frivolous expenditures? Very, very many, I assure you.

If you’re curious as to why I’m commenting here, it’s been linked by other blogs.
I have no resentment towards either Amal or George other than his overt depiction of their humanitarianism. What I see is an ostentatious display.

Nati, you are a sweetheart but I really don’t think this is for me.
I hope you’ll understand. Take care.

Nadia, actually, I have a feeling that you are Anna. Some of those ‘moves’ and insistancy are so alike…no need to insult our intelligence.
AND, just to be clear, I am a fashion journalist (you can check it out) with a fairly busy life, yet I keep up with this blog for one reason or another…where is the
problem ?

Hi Nadja, i believe the same, Erika is jon321, but frankly, my feeling tells me, that she is a man. The earlier comments
regarding Amals backside etc. were very musculine.
Anna, when i asked the question some months ago, why people are that annoyed here because Amal Clooney wears expensive clothes, i have been treated like an Idiot.
My opinion was and is: this beautiful couple brings a lot of fun and joy to many of us, they pay their bills, they do not take any drugs, they have a fantastical feeling for Family life and above all: they have never ever said, that they are holy. They are very rich and spend their money as they like it. Everyone who does not like their lifestyle, does not need to follow their lifes.
Ok Amal Clooney could wear cheaper clothes, but she does not do it. This topic has been discussed now for several months. It is really getting boring. If she drove a Ferrari of 300.000,00 € and wore zara, the World would be probably ok for a lot of People here.

The saying “She could wear a potato sack and look beautiful” holds true here. The dress has no shape. I think George actually looks very good but not sure what’s going on with the facial hair that just ages him.

I live 3 hours away from there. It’s not too dressed up. I know it’s hard to believe, but there are a lot more Midwesterners walking around dressier than what Amal has on here. Maybe not as expensive, but more fashionable.

I agree, i dont see the fuss about this dress, i think Amal chose it because it is quite simple, modest in design, lady-like, the only special thing about is the price tag. People need to rest that already and accept that her clothing are expensive, nobody is going to make she dress cheap if she can afford more, and her hubby has 151 million, someone needs to spend it hahah. If nobody knew how much this dress cost, nobody would say she is OTT. One cannot ever guess this dress would cost that much. I, for sure would not pay more than 200 bucks for it, but that is just me. I doubt Amal paid for it either.

Overdressed again. As another commentator noted, a major part of being stylish is being dressed to the occasion. Also, isn’t it a little warm for suede? I liked her skinny jeans and white t-shirt look the day before.

So cute that George is taking her around his home town, and I love that he still goes there. I live in a very run down part of town, and whenever anyone from round here ‘makes it’ they are never seen again. Always nice to remember where you came from.

The thing is…would we think that she is over the top if we did not know the price tag? Because, really, this dress could be found at Ross racks for 25 bucks…a fake one, but same look…i dont understand the price for such dress…so that is why i dont think it is over the top, i find it super simple, a bit too big for Amal in the arm-pit area…i like this Pocahontas outfit on her:) I think it is ok, since nobody there knows the price tag, i hope.

The thing is… by now, she probably does not have anything on her closet that is not pricy…she must have piles of bags still unopened, sent to her to wear.

The thing is… someone has to dress up a bit, given the fact that George is making a point to beat that pants-tequila-shirt-brown-blouse-sweed-shoes to death. Amal needs to save the day haha

Did you see her other pictures there? She was dressed precisely as you described and more than two occasions; just jeans, scarf, t-shirt…maybe this dress was for the family reunion event, who knows…but i think the dress is simple and appropriate. Pricy yes, but still appropriate. It was George’s glorious pie moment after all 🙂 Besides, if she had not worn any expensive dress there, people would criticize her that she did not think the folks in Kentucky wore worthy of her to dress up for them. One cannot ever win, people will criticize for anything!

Yes, Nadia. I did see her other outfits and she looked very cute. You’re correct, it was exactly how I described. Especially the pic with skinny jean, scarf, hair down, tee, sunglasses. It’s an Ohio, Kentucky look for sure. 🙂

Ohio and Kentucky enjoy more of a J. Crew, Talbots, The Limited, The Express, The Gap, Banana Republic, L.L Bean kind of look.
This look would be a little “pretentious” and hot for summer. The suede, leather, all get put away quickly in Ohio & Kentucky as soon as the weather breaks because we are so tired of winter by the time spring hits. You wouldn’t catch many people from Ohio or Kentucky still wearing suede by June. This is a no-no. I am born and raised in Ohio and remain a resident. I stopped wearing suede in March/April.

I was born and raised in the same area of the country as you guys, and that’s why I made my original comment – because I know the style of that area very well. Furthermore, as beautiful as she looks here, suede dresses would be reserved for fall or winter. I guess she doesn’t mind walking around in those heels, either, but I would be so uncomfortable.

Oh P-L-E-A-S-E!!!! For gosh sake ladies,,, How demanding are you!?? Do you think Amal needs to do a research now on how precisely – by brand – people dress up wherever she goes now? For the sake of pleasing us all?? Is that how you guys want this girl to be spending her time? My goodness!! Sometimes i wonder! Nobody would feel warm on this dress, it is so open, large, fringes, breezy…and Geoe=rge can always take it off her if she feels that much heat. Dont compare her with the local folks and vice-versa. She is not a came-lion and must not adapt precisely to whatever is next to her, she is a person.

I think she looks so gracious, smiling, being their with her man… can we focus on anything positive on her attitude here? How about the fact that she is there with him, and whoever meets them, meets her has a reat feeling about them? Look at him!! He is a happy bunny, she must be for something, not just the pie he is eating…come on ladies!! Lets be more supportive of her, of each other (not of Bruce Jenner because cause HE aint a woman and never will be!)

Otherwise go post your comments at DM, TMZ, US mag, etc. I get so tired of all this scrutiny, overly demanding atittude! You will never be pleased with anything!

Nadia, with all due respect, I think Lady, LuLu, and Es were just being helpful in offering additional comments on Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. They weren’t being nasty or criticizing Amal, but rather just offering insight, as we all do. In fact, my comment was a follow up to several posts mentioning suede, tri-state, etc. I agreed with them and then offered my input, too. Lady, LuLu, Es, and ESR seem like very nice people…I’m going to place my bets that they were just offering their nice view of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Three great states to be from. Ohio born and raised. O-H I-O ! 🙂

Nadia, with all due respect…As Lady said, “as beautiful as Amal looks here, suede dresses would be reserved for fall or winter”. Lady is very accurate. She was just offering a thoughtful comment since she knows the fashion of the area in which she lives. 🙂

I love how everyone offers their genuine & authentic viewpoint in regard to Amal’s fashion selection. Please keep them coming! All comments are all quite interesting. And thanks especially to the bright, intelligent people on this blog who offer their input through their own perspective and who confidently share them.Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Who’s negative? Who’s positive? Does that really matter when people like Amal, but wish to share their view? RESPECT IS TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF OTHERS. It’s not necessary for people on this blog to “attack” other people on this blog for sharing their insightful feeling or vision on a fashion piece that Amal is wearing. People are “allowed” to not like something AND people are “allowed” to like something. 🙂

Fair enough jacklyn, i do appreciate these ladies most of the time, they are sweet to read… it is just that…poor Amal can never win this… i really think she is not pretentious, or try to overdo on purpose. I really like this dress for this occasion, it does not seems warm at all. Now if it was in Florida, where all is very humid, then maybe, but i have a feeling Ohio , Kentucky is not tropical, is it? besides, dont you guys already know that Amal does not follows rules? hahaha she breaks the supposed fashion rules all the time, that is her trade mark. i am getting used to it by now 🙂

of course i wish to respect all here, i may bark a bit here and there, but i dont bite 😉

Thank you, Jaclyn. I should clarify that most of my comments are usually meant to be taken as instructional, rather than negative (hence my initial comment about the nature and “fit” of this outfit in Augusta, KY). I’m a career woman who was drawn to this website because I was fascinated by Amal. The news coverage about her touted her ethnicity (I’m half Arab) and her work (which was mistakenly labeled “humanitarian”).

I genuinely think that Amal is beautiful and well-educated, as I’ve stated here many times. That said, I do happen to be a pragmatist, in some ways. I, myself, am very low-maintenance in my everyday appearance (no make-up, flat shoes, nice pants and a blouse to work). As a feminist, I cringe at the fact that Amal is so high-maintenance – I wish she would be a little less high-maintenance and just let her natural beauty shine. Perhaps it’s my upbringing (being raised in a modestly dressed part of the country). On the other hand, I do appreciate fashion, if it is ethically made and interesting, even if it’s expensive. However, I see no problem with repeat wearing of clothing or wearing vintage pieces. I also have issues with the exotic animal skins used for some items of clothing that she wears.

Conspicuous consumption and a massive carbon footprint (how many homes do George and Amal now own, how much do they jet around the world, and how much carbon does their lifestyle waste?) leave a negative taste in my mouth. To this end, I feel strongly that Amal is setting a bad example for younger generations. Honestly, judging by her behavior, it appears as if Amal really doesn’t care about that though. I think she’s living how she wants to, damn the consequences. The overwhelming vibe I get is that she married money and influence, and she wants to flaunt it. There are many, many other celebrity spouses who don’t act that way, so it’s definitely her choice to act like this.

Conspicuous consumption also plays into the common “wealthy Arab” stereotype. She’s behaving in every way to encourage the perpetuity of that stereotype, and that really, really bothers me when there are many Arabs who live in impoverished, refugee communities.

As for Amal’s professional life, I find ESR’s comments particularly enlightening. In the past, I have expressed concern over some of the people that Amal chooses to defend, as well.

I wish that Amal would take a moment to consider the constructive criticism people have for her. It would benefit her greatly, I feel.

I haven’t commented here for a while, but continue to read the comments regularly and I am always amazed at how quickly we are as a society at judging women based solely on their appearance. How quickly we are to admire or shred them to pieces, mostly the latter , based on what they are wearing or what they look like. . I was struggling to verbalize these thoughts until I saw Jon Stewart’s clip about Bruce/ Caitlyn Brenner. When he was a man, the discussion was moslty about his accomplishments. He becomes a woman and now all of a sudden he is getting commented on based on appearance To the most minute detail. Given intention he/ she probably didn’t even think about. Kind of like what the media and we on this blog do to Amal. It should be eye opening to us as a society. As women judging other women we are ruthless. I have read comments about Amal’s toes, camel toes. Hair, extensions, lack of extensions too thin, too bony, too pretentious, etc etc . Even her professional accomplishments have been minimized and now she is a mere junior barrister who is barely making a blip on the radar according to some people. This is what we do as a society to women.

I’m not sure what your saying Frida. That women into fashion shouldn’t have opinions about women wearing fashion? That professional lawyers shouldn’t have opinions about other professional lawyers? That women shouldn’t use their brains? I’m not sure every criticism of Amal can be blanketed as “women against women”. Isn’t that what you’re doing also by the way? Food for thought indeed.

There are many of us that comment on ‘substance’ – Amal’s work. And we frequently get shouted down by a group who feel these conversations are ‘too serious’ for this blog.

You have just critiqued those conversations, and in doing so belittled the woman you claim to celebrate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a junior barrister. We were all juniors at one point. Juniors are the driving force of the Bar. Amal IS a junior barrister (five years of call) and she is ‘barely making a blip’ if you wish to use that phrase (in the sense that no, she is not single handedly saving the world). Why does that ‘minimise’ her achievements? Can being a junior not be an accomplishment? Can a woman not be praised for that? Must we inflate her achievements in order to truly appreciate her?

My issue with this attitude is that your position is this: for a woman to be truly celebrated, her achievements must seem truly distinctive. If that is your measure, I’m not sure it aids your position. Amal is distinctive in relation to the general population, but she is not distinctive within her proffession. Amal would be the first person to accept that. That is the view many here express. Please explain in what sense this reality is belittling?

ESR, the problem is, that you guys seems to assume that it is Amal’s fault that the media over-inflate her. What is she supposed to be doing? Going to every tabloid or anyone who posts stuff about her and dismiss their affirmations? That would be terrible if she took that route. She has never made any claims about her, never done interviews, never claimed anything. So she must not be guilty of any inflation on her. So for you guys to be all the time placing her where she is supposed to be, according to you, is kind unnecessary because, any truly smart person and not a tabloid eater, should know that tabloids sale crappy stuff about people. The crappy the better for them. So give her a break because she aint guilty or responsible of our assumptions about her. Others make she be what they want, and it is not up to her neither her duty to go around dismissing it all. In my case, you guys dont need to explain anything because i am smart enough to know that i cannot take any of anything about her seriously, from these drama inlfater tabloids. I see pictures, i criticize some stuff but i try to keep a light bashing, because i know deep inside the only one who truly knows the truth about her is herself. And i dont see me getting in her head anytime soon 😀

Nadia, I have never apportioned blame. Sure, some people may know that the media does not accurately portray reality, but that does necessarily mean they are able to know the reality of Amal’s work. If you aren’t interested in her work, then perhaps you should refrain from commenting on it, and just comment on the things which do interest you. That is the approach I follow in my comments.

Frida, i like your valid comment about how women bash other women, i agree… but, in regards to bruce, PLEASE and i really beg you PLEASE…understand this: BRUCE IS NOT A WOMAN!!! NEVER WAS AND NEVER WILL BE! SO lets , us women, stop this insanity of assumptions and promotion of insanity, delusion and dysfunction. He is still a MAN, and no matter what he does, how much he tweaks and mess around with, he will still be a MAN. I expect women to have more respect for our gender. It is about time to stop this nonsense of accepting all crap, especially from highly dysfunctional people such a Bruce and his bunch. He can do whatever he wants and dream of being a woman he wants… fine, but please dont pretend you believe he is a woman or that he now can be considered one, because i do take great offense in that. HELL NO!! Enough is enough!!

@Nadia – much as I dislike Jenner, I have no problem accepting that she is now a woman and totally respect her right to be seen as and accepted as one. You plainly are either utterly clueless about gender identity or a bigot.

Your above comments are incredibly ignorant and incredibly offensive to the broader trangsgender community out there who already have more than enough to contend without comments like yours adding to their struggle.

Nadia, you and I often don’t understand why others are so judgmental towards Amal, so lets not be one of them towards Bruce Jenner. you don’t have to agree with what he did, many people don’t, but who are we to tell him who he is or should be. live and let live and lets work on spreading positivity, something on a constant decline it seems. believe me it’s hard for me to be saying this because i can’t stand anything kardashian/jenner.

What´s wrong with you, Nadia? How can you get so aggressive and even seem to feel offended by someone who just wants to be called Caitlyn in the future? Why do you care? Wow, try to be a little more open-minded – and what you constantly demand others to be – positive please.

Bruce has the right to feel however he wants. I dont care. But i do care that anyone would state he is a woman now. You should be asking what is wrong with such statement. So now a man, just because he wish to be called by a feminine name, now he is indeed a woman? I must not disagree or i will be taken by someone who is intolerant? So tolerance now is to accept a lie? because the tabloids state that he is a woman i have to silent to that and pretend that, me too, believes he is a woman? Is that where we are heading to? As far as all is concerned , there are only 2 genders and that will be such for a long time to come. Alterations do not count, sorry. All i wish is to keep reality in check so we dont become this pretending heads, when inside we know we are promoting a lie. No, do not count on me for promoting such. It does not means i will persecute the guy. He can dress as a woman if he wishes, but dont try to shove down on my throat that HE is indeed a woman, that is all i ask. if you feel like HE is a woman, well, you can feel that way, but i cant, sorry, because a woman HE is NOT and never will be. Not even if, by ways of science, he one day gave birth, he would still be a man to me. A gender is not just how a person feels, nor it is just how a person behaves. it is beyond that.

PS: I am so afraid that soon we will have defenders of pedophilia too and one wont be able to disagree for fear one will be named intolerant? WOW! We are evolving! So much in the name of tolerance!

Gosh Nadia, you have now equated transgender people with paedophiles. Clearly these are incomparable – paedophiles harm innocent people and so cannot be defenced, transgender people are not harming anyone. I don’t see how you can advocate tirelessly for tolerance towards Amal’s excesses, and yet in the same breath you come out with something so highly intolerant towards an entire goup of people.

Morna, You are the one offending the REAL transgender people. Shame on YOU for putting me down because i want to keep sanity in track. Bruce Jenner is NOT a transgender! But of course, in your book, everyone who is lost is now a transgender? Go get yourself informed before you try to shame me. I feel no shame at all for advocating for the world to keep a bit of sanity around. This new wave of all must be accepted and praised? Bruce Jenner now is a hero? People are praising him for..lets say: he was a man, who attained enough success, lived a long life as a man, had sex with women, made children with them, and signed up for a shame reality show where all is aberrated, dysfunctional and lost, but that is the biggest watched show, right? Where was his Caitlyn identity all this time? We do not live in caveman times anymore, and nobody in America care if you come out of the closet or not. He choose to not to, i wonder why!?! Well, i tell you why: he was loosing his shinning place in the kardashian crappy shame show and he needed to find a light on his own. I have absolutely no sympathy for him or someone who is misleading, confused and confusing without the need to be. And for sure HE is not a transgender, just a lost MAN with a high degree of dysfunction, who will do anything to get the spotlight. He was dysfunctional way before he came out, but just being around kardashians, period.

NO, I am not going to advocate nor promote or accept dysfunction as a new way of life. Somewhere people need to stop praising dysfunction and glorifying it. And NO and NO and NO, he is not a woman and never will be .

You want to be a part of this new shame society? Go for it, but i feel ashamed of you as a woman, because we live in a world where more and more we are losing any sense of what is normal and acceptable as behavior. His behavior was poor and unacceptable for me, not because he wishes to dress and be called with a feminine name, but because he is misleading, devious, and opportunity seeker. He does not knows who he is, but goes on using people for his own sake. I have no sympathy for liars. He should be ashamed for his poor conduct and not praised and made into a hero. You know who is a hero to me? Someone who is courageous, someone who is their own selves no matter what, someone who speaks the truth, someone who stick to who they are instead fo spending most of his life pretending to be someone else. I would not be surprised that when the light fades out on his new Caithlyn he will decide to be called something else, and will dress up like… gosh knows what… all could be on the menu, and i am sure, you will be there to place him on a pedestal. I hope i will be dead by then! I have no prejudice on people’s REAL gender identity or sexuakl prefferences, let oit be, if it is GENUINE, but on his case, it is not valid, it is just a way for him to cash some more money out of his poor behavior.

Go ahead darlings, bash me as much as you want, at least i know who i am and i do not promote mediocrity and dysfunction.

PS: and for the commentator who was “horrified ” of my mention of pedophile supporters.. well, do your homework and find out the groups that are advocating that pedophilia is not a crime and and pedophiles should not go to jail, but only be treated… soon there will be, if not already, someone placing them on hero pedestal.

It is funny now how every craziness, mediocrity and dysfunctional behaviors now has the right to be, but the people who want to keep a minimum level of sanity and reality are being shamed…and most of that is coming from “women”. In a world where men are pretty crazy…women should be a voice of reason, not advocators and promoters of insanity and dysfunction.

Frida – Thank you for saying this. I have not commented in a long time. I am almost at the point where I am going to just stop reading the comments. But I am glad to have seen your comment and that of Nadia and a few other kind and thoughtful comments. I read these with considerable relief. I have no patience for the nastiness of some of some of the commentary. I have resisted commenting in large part because the answer to such commentary, other than by the owner of the blog, should be complete silence. No response at all. Anonymity, in my opinion, changes the scope of free speech. When such concepts were developed and enshrined in law there was truly almost no such thing as anonymous speech. If you said something, kind or unkind, you were accountable for that speech. No longer. It is not okay to be unnecessarily critical and nasty if you do so without accountability. I do wish we could return to a time where it was not okay to make a sport or entertainment out of criticizing others. I struggle with why a blog such as this one, designed I believe to celebrate a very interesting woman, becomes a magnet for negativity. I have read this quite often on this blog and I ask myself the same question – why would anyone who is so negative want to visit this blog in the first let alone comment.

Well put Frida. Could not agree more, except this site is all about fashion and style so ergo one has permission to comment on such matters. I love that she is a young successful professional woman who just happens to have a great sense of style. That is what makes her so interesting. Not the many out there who don’t call showbiz there profession.

So…..I really like her best with less make-up. She looks much younger and somehow happier. The dress is an odd choice 1) weather 2) hanging out 3) it needs a pop of colour. Maybe her shoes do that. Funny even I had all that money I still would not buy expensive clothes. Just not my thing. But if it’s her thing, then fine. That’s her vice.

I don’t get how this dress is over the top. it’s simply, even bland and boring. it can get any simpler than this. if Nati didn’t post its price, no one would give it another look. i do not agree with Erika, the fashion journalist above, the this is a dress you wear to a fancy restaurant. i personally wouldn’t. i think it’s ok to wear it to a small town visit. the dress itself is not a problem, the price is. and since no taxpayers are not paying for her clothes, she can buy whatever she can afford.I don’t care. I am too getting tired of other women comparing Amal to others, specially much older people who had 30 more decades to establish themselves and married 10 folds richer people than George. give the woman a chance. she’s still relatively young and have more than enough time to grow and accomplish a lot of things. constantly pointing out her flaws and nitpicking and criticizing will not do her any good if you care about her. if you don’t care, then why are you here?

The tragedy is, that without this blog nobody would know, how much Amal’s clothes cost (probably not even Amal herself…). I have been wondering for a while, if GC’s PR people might approach Nati and ask her to shut down the blog – or at least stop posting prices.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy she keeps posting all that info and I appreciate the discussion that derives from it.

I am conscious that currently so many magazines published the costs of Amal’s outffits as “outrageous expensive” and my blog was the first source. I created this blog because Amal had the best outfits, an unique style and a real job.

Nati, i do see the valid point that eve456 made, i kind of agree with her… would you ever consider not posting the prices of her outfits, only brand names and maybe links, but not make a point in posting the price? I ave a feeling that this stuff is sent out to her, and for example, when she lend that dress to her niece to wear, i bet she did not look and said, hey here goes this super expensive dress, you must wear it! i bet she just gave it to her because it was cute and she had loads of it unused. i think that, perhaps, with all your great intentions to support Amal, posting the prices kind of brings too much attention to it and it becomes a negativity to focus on, especially that – you said it yourself – you were the first one to bring up prices into perspective and highlighted it.

Just a thought to consider. I feel tired to see so many struggling to adjust to the price thing, and i dont see that changing soon because Amal will continue to wear them, but maybe not even her really knows the prices of it all, ince i doubt she is buying them herself:) Not all of it, at least..i hope 🙂 I personally dont see much the use to know the price since i will not be buying them anyways, i think you should only focus on posting price for alternatives, that i would like more than to know the original price. I dont even want to know it haha

Yes, Nati, and we all appreciate that. It was so nice of you to foresee that Amal would be a very noticed woman. You wanted to offer to everyone how nice it is to see in our world (one of the many) wholesome women who seems to have it all together. Career-check. A fun fashion sense–check. Intelligence–check. It encourages women everywhere to “Be your Best Self”. Whatever this is for you… just “be your best self”. This is what your blog encourages me to do. To be my best self. Perhaps it’s different for everyone. Your blog offers a “front seat” to view Amal’s fashion. It’s fun! You allow us to be positive, analytical, to question, to be awestruck, to like/dislike, to say YaY or NaY. C’est la vie. And it encourages thought & opinions among all people on fashion, body image, choices, $$$, beauty, and more. Amal’s style is fun & unique, she’s a working woman, and trying to find her place in the world as she takes on the next chapter of her life. Your blogs highlights it all so beautifully and right up to the minute. 🙂

Dear Nati, thank you very much for the information. Amal already being GC’s fiancee in July 2014, she was certainly being associated with Hollywood celebrity at that time and on the radar of designers, the date being close to the marriage. If she had worn Ferretti in 2012 or 2013 before having met him, things would look different. Just in brief: the floral outfit is matching the season (summer in italy) both in style and fabric, well suited for the occasion (romantic dinner), the clutch is a bit boring but otherwise serving the purpose.

The top unfortunately makes Amal look rather big around the waist when viewed upfront, her hair looks messy.and dry. She certainly has since upped her sartorial game to some extent.
(…)
Of course Amal is imperfect – we all are, thank heavens! I am looking forward to the next cases she’s working on in terms of business wardrobe and some development in her carreer (& do hope she gains some weight).

@Anna: ATTENTION, PLEASE! Above uttered is my private opinion, i certainly would word things a lot sharper when officially reviewing. Rest assure, should i ever start ‘splitting hairs’ …. it might make you weep. Which is why i shall refrain from it for politeness – and because i am but a guest in this blog.

No, Nadia, i am NOT a double-nick of any other poster – be it an active, an inactive or former one. These allegations tell nothing about me, but reveal a lot about your own way of thinking.

Go figure – i neither love nor hate Mrs Amal Clooney. She is not but a mere SUBJECT, or i should say, an OBJECT of my daily work, one among hundreds of other real or alleged celebrities we’re dealing with in the fashion business. She may be chosen for one of the next volumes of our mag – or maybe not if she turns out not to be ‘worth’ a story … e.g. because she has been discussed widely in other publications, the internet, she doesn’t fit into the overall direction of a particular issue, because there’s little news about her (which is my personal view of hers at the moment due to high predictability of her sartorial picks – predictability is SO boring),

It may seem strange to you in your unconditional adoration for this person that others (presumed 99.x% of mankind) do not fall for her ‘magic’ the way you do. As much as you dislike this – that’s reality. Deal with it :-).

I am a fashion journalist who is used to openly voice her opinions. I will continue to do so in our magazine, both in print and online-version :-), BTW, ALSO about Amal Clooney. Frankly, it does simply not matter if you are pleased by my personal and / or professional views or not.

Take a look at yourself and some other posters in this blog: you and them deny me and some other posters who dare to utter non-adoring opinions to do so by getting personal in your attacks, calling us double-accounts, suspecting gender-role-games etc.. Rather strange behaviour, in my opinion.

Now please go and read this blog very thoroughly! Who of us ‘alleged haters’ has ever done so to any of you ‘admirers’?

All we are doing is voice opinions, stating facts. Just like you do.

I must say, however, i am after these few days already rather inclined to delegate the task of checking this particular blog to one of our assistants. I am used to be able discussing with adults – which works very well for most blogs. Just not for those where immature teenagers go crazy about the subject of their desires. I am a bit too old, too mature and too impatient for wasting any more time on trying to discuss with some weirdos.

To the Bloghost nati: thank you for having allowed me to post. Kudos for the amount of time and effort you seem to invest in your blog, but you might reconsider the direction is seems to be going and a certain ‘segment’ of fan(atic)s it seems to attract. All the best to you and be well (applies as well to those ladies who are d’accord with my attitude).

Erika, aka jon321…there has been only another commentator wish such hard judgement and arrogance. Perhaps they are coming on twin sets now? Erika, we dont adore Amal, we are not fanatics, we just try to be fair and not place our judgement as if they were 100% true, that is all.

Please gives us a link to your work as a fashion journalist, i would like to check that out. I would love to see your capabilities as a fashion journalist there, because here i am missing it. Please share…

Hi Erika,
your following sentences were the reason for my above comment and please do not tell me anything about behaviour. I really would like to know where you are working, which tabloid engaged you? Probably not a high class Magazine: Now I am awaiting your sharper comment, perhaps I will start weeping.

@Anna: ATTENTION, PLEASE! Above uttered is my private opinion, i certainly would word things a lot sharper when officially reviewing. Rest assure, should i ever start ‘splitting hairs’ …. it might make you weep. Which is why i shall refrain from it for politeness – and because i am but a guest in this blog.

Erika….don’t sweat Nadia. He/she is the most negative thing about this blog. According to Nadia, I, too, am Jon321….so that must mean that I am you!!
I just hope one of us remembers to pick up broccoli at the supermarket today for dinner tonight. 🙂 😉

I am growing weary and frustrated by the level and extent of ad hominem attacks on this blog. Yes, there are strong views here, but it is frustrating to see people telling each other to not comment, or to go elsewhere, or start making personal remarks about each other.

Is there no way for people to either a) ignore the views of those whom they they disagree, or b) respond by addressing the point rather than making personal attacks on the poster? It is a little disquieting that the discussion descends so rapidly into a carnivorous frenzy.

We are, collectively, in agreement or not, perfectly able to have an interesting and measured conversation – we have done this in the past.

ESR, when you take that route, i TRULY LOVE reading you. It is smart, informational and very interesting. The only times i dislike is when assumptions are made on how Amal’s carrer is being inflated by the media and it is sometimes blamed on her, that i find unfair.

But i love seeing and reading this job insights of yours, you are quite knowledgeable on it, it seems and nice to read:) Keep in coming, if you have the time:)

And in case anyone is interested in Amal’s work… the hooded men case received permission yesterday. This means the case has the go-ahead to go to full trial. It will probably be some time before it gets that far, however.

Also, worth noting that Doughty Street makes no mention of AC’s continued involvement in relation to the ‘hooded men’ case. Lead Counsel is Hugh Southey QC and Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, both of Matrix Chambers, and Adam Straw of Doughty Street. All are considerably more experienced, in terms of call, than AC. I suspect AC is no longer involved in this case, having completed her initial advisory work.

Interesting question. There is no mention of a sabbatical on Doughty Street’s website, so to all intents and purposes AC is still accepting instructions. Besides, one can’t just tell a client a few months into instruction that one is taking leave, that would be poor practice.

My feeling is that AC was only instructed to provide advice. In answer to your question Mariah, solicitors frequently ask barristers for ‘advice’ before they decide to take a case to court. This is necessary because one would want to know one’s chances of success before staking so much on a full trial.

However, Amal was instructed on this case fairly late and there were already 3 highly experienced practitioners including a QC on the case. It is unlikely that they would be seeking advice from Amal on this, when they already had someone like Southeby or even another junior – Blinne Ni Ghralaigh (who is herself Irish and has considerable experience in that area) – advising them.

Unfortunate as it is to say, there is only one distinct advantage AC has over all of the other barrister’s involved – her involvement got the case much needed publicity. Once they had got that publicity, they discretely ended their association with AC. The ‘advice’ seems to have little merit beyond this.

I expressed concern many months ago that AC would be used as a tool for publicitiy and little more, and this is yet another case which demonstrates that. Of course there is nothing wrong with publicising such cases, but I cannot imagine a lawyer enjoying never doing any real law again! It would be nice to see her take on a case more appropriate to her experience, so she could actually see it through from start to finish.

Interesting response as always – I always learn something from you, ESR. I am about to sit my law finals – so thank you for the motivation! I hope to be able to practice some day and be as eloquent and well reasoned like you.

I agree with you completely, ESR. The discussion on this blog has unfortunately deteriorated as a few bullies insist on shouting down and personally insulting anyone with an opinion of the Clooneys that is not total adulation. I suspect that, like me, many commenters were initially drawn here out of admiration for Amal’s combination of quirky style, intelligence and commitment through her work to people and causes beyond herself and her small, privileged world. I had hoped that she would use the international celebrity that came with her marriage to George to become a powerful role model and break boundaries for women around the world. Instead, Amal seems to be working less and less and reverting to the conventional role of a woman as clotheshorse and arm candy. I don’t think it is unfair or inappropriate to say this because beginning with their multi-day spectacle of a wedding in Venice, the Clooneys have presented themselves to the world as a public couple, inviting the attention and scrutiny that comes with it. I hope that once the novelty of marriage to a very wealthy Hollywood celebrity wears off, Amal will find her bearings again and that she and George can create a life in service to more than themselves.

I agree, Janet, but Amal is new to this life she became part of with marriage. She may develop a different approach with time and use her celebrity and skills and training for making a difference. She’s only 37 which is still quite young. She may not of course and the choice will be hers. And I would be sad if she chose to continue on her current path but the choice is hers. I think many of us would go overboard with the clothes etc in her situation for a while but I would get bored after a while with that lifestyle and I’d want to work and make a difference, stylishly dressed though!

I am the commentator who mentioned she was over dresed, may I add inappropriately so. It is called conspicuous consumption and, personally, I do not care for it. But not everyone shares my sensibilities. If we all thought like me….,the world would be pretty boring.

Diane, me too i wish she would not dress so expensively all the time. But the trouble is.. she does… and some people still cant wrap that around their heads and are constantly frustrated that she is not turning into what they want her to be. That is what bugs me a bit, that people still dont get it that she is not Mother Teresa. I dont really defend that she is extravagant..i just have learn to get that and dont expect her to be otherwise, even though it would be better if she was. At least for the snakes it would be better 🙂

And there is the nub of the issue. You seem to believe that differences of opinion result in people being ‘impolise aggressive and jealous’. If, as ESR has said above, we all learnt to respect each other’s opinions and actually adress the point rather than attacking each other personally, perhaps we could have an interesting conversation without everyone getting so over-excited. Yes, people have different opinions and that’s why this blog is interesting.

I appreciate that I have already had my two cents. I very much appreciate that people can, and thank goodness they do, have differences of opinion. People can disagree and this is of course perfectly normal and healthy. But in this case we are talking about people having different opinions and viewpoints on a human being – not a public policy issue, not a political issue – in fact not an issue at all. And moreover these opinions are about a human being about whom none of us know really anything at all. I agree – it is possible to construct theories about her professional life – and her personal life. I have to say I am at a loss to understand really where this gets anyone. But that is all they are – no matter how carefully they are constructed – theories. My earlier comment was not directed to differences of opinion. Or free speech – whatever this may be. I like to think however that we can speak without being unkind, without making broad judgments about people we don’t know, without nastiness.

Like it or not, freedom of speech is not limited to political issues. Human beings, especially those with an enormous public presence, will be at the centre of public comment. This has always been the way. Having a blog like this will garner comment – be it on style, or lifestyle, or career.

ESR’s ‘theories’ about AC’s career have so far been very accurate and well-reasoned. Whoever ESR is, it is clear they have a lot of knowledge about the legal world of London. Besides, most of the information about ACs career is public knowledge – the only difference is that people like ESR know where to look, and have the experience to know how the system works. I am a law student, so I am very interested in Amal – her style and her career. That is why I started following this blog. So far, I have learned a great deal from ESR about Amal’s career, and I haven’t found ESR ever to say anything that hasn’t been backed up with evidence or some solid reasoning. I am afraid you have to accept that as a celebrity lawyer, some of us will be interested in her cases and what she does. You do realise that law is a public thing right? A central tenet of the rule of law is that justice must be publically done. So discussing AC’s cases and working life really isn’t something that should be shut down in a democratic society that values the rule of law. In discussing her career we aren’t talking about something personal, but something professional. It’s a really dangerous thing to go around saying ‘you don’t have the freedom to talk about x or y because that is a ‘human being”. By that token, we could not discuss politicians either, and there you have a dictatorship. If Amal makes a public speech, or takes on a case which is in the public domain, it’s a hallmark of responsible citizenship to be talking about it.

As you can see, one need only know where to look. It is no theory that Amal is no longer working on the hooded men case, and it is no theory that she was only instructed for advice. The evidence is there on her own Chambers’ website. A lawyer’s life is one is one led in the public eye, and this is especially the case for the kind of law in which Amal practises – public law. One can stroll into a court room, one can read the directories, one can read the judgements and see all of the submissions and precisely which barristers made them, one can peruse Chambers’ websites and, in my case, one can speak with colleagues over lunch and on dining nights – there is very little that one cannot find out about who has which cases and why in legal London.

Charles Dickens did a marvellous job of capturing what a beehive of a world legal London was, and how rapidly word spread. And that was in Bleak House. 1853. Well worth a read. Little has changed in this respect since then.

You may continue to dismiss my pratter as no more than theories, it may take you nowhere but others feel it takes them somewhere. For as long as they do, I shall remain.

I enjoy reading ESR insights, the only thing i dont like is when, commentators take such affirmation with a tone that i feel is like… how can i say…. like hooting for Amals defeat… like trying to make a point that she is not all that… so i find that mean-willed. I am the kind of person who loves to cheer up for people, i am a natural supporter and i want to rather be supportive than a dismiss-er. I dont defend her blindly and do not make assumptions that she is doing more than what she may be doing. But i also dont like to see people making a point to dismiss her or hoot for her to be left out of tings, or to go down into the drain. I wish her, and anyone, the best, as long as they are REAL. I hope she comes out strong out of this. Her career is a special type that needs to be careful on credibility, but i do believe she is capable, so i hoot for her to come out credible in her works. It must be a very difficult time emotionally for her… i do not want to be on her position, where she will need to really evaluate what will be more important: money or a successful career. ? I wish her the best 😀

I wish you the best too ESR:) you are quite bright, i would love to see you in the court room smashing it:)

When there is a discussion about prices of clothes the low prices of Zara, HM etc.as a result of human and environmental exploitation should be criticised as well.
They steal ideas of creative fashion people, copy and produce with often inhuman methods for a throw-away-society.
This is OK?
Handwork and quality may cost, people have to be paid fairly.

Back to fashion:
Isn’t the new collection of Alberta Ferretti wonderful?
I hope AC shows us more pieces.
Since I visited the Ferretti shop in Florence I am a fan of this brand., so feminine, cool and creative and in best quality. (I own a 12 year old cashmere-twinset with pearl embroidery – no pearl became loose!).

Yes – I am concerned about the issues with high street retailers, but you can’t seriously be suggesting that designer garments actually cost that much to make? They cost the price rich people are prepared to pay, and they cost that much to ensure they remain exclusive.

I make most of my own clothes (I have to buy jeans and that is about it), so I have a good idea of how much things cost to make. As much as I know that a Primark T-shirt for £1 is ridiculous, I also know that a $3000 dress is ridiculous.

You speak about shopping at Zara as if it were a second hand store. Everyone in fashion copies. Zara has many very nice pieces that a real working woman can afford. You know, the woman who busts her chops running around making an honest living, whether it be in an office, as an attorney, or in my case as a speech pathologist caring for children. Then there are the teachers who are the most undervalued workers in our society who probably can’t even afford Zara’s if there is not a sale….. these are the hard working women who deserve to be recognized and not looked down upon because they shop at Zara or HM…

If Amal was buying the odd designer piece to wear time and time again, then I would agree with you. There’s nothing better than investing in a quality piece to wear for a long time. But this isn’t that, is it? She buys designer garments with the proclivity with which rampant consumers by the cheap clothes which you so malign. The only difference between the consumers is the price they are prepared to pay, there is no difference in the consumption itself.

A really good example of a celebrity who does what you say is Kiera Knightley. She famously bought a burberry shearling coat for around £3000, and she said that she ‘couldn’t bear to spend that much money on a coat’ and her mum apparently told her it was ‘ridiculous to spend that much on a coat’. In the end, she bought it. But she then wore that coat pretty much every day for a year. You still see her wearing it. Now Kiera Knightley’s behaviour is much closer to the sentiment you expressed (and no, Clara, I am not comparing AC to Kiera Knightley – just using an example).

Do me a favour please and just remove my comments instead of keeping them in moderation long beyond any reasonable point of objectivity.

And do me the small courtesy of publishing this one so I can thanks to those who, like me, have really enjoyed the good, interesting, intelligent conversation from all perspectives that is such a crucial part of making a blog worth visiting and following.

Oh for shame. Nati. How in the world can you say my comments go too far while happily posting Nadia’s bigotry? The comment of mine which you ‘moderated’ was a disgusted response to Nadia’s ignorance. How low of you to imply that my comment was ‘too far’ implying that I’d said something really offensive.

This is the comment that’s been held in moderation for two days now. Please allow other posters to judge it.

——————————————-

@Nadia – much as I dislike Jenner, I have no problem accepting that she is now a woman and totally respect her right to be seen as and accepted as one. You plainly are either utterly clueless about gender identity or a bigot.

Your above comments are incredibly ignorant and incredibly offensive to the broader trangsgender community out there who already have more than enough to contend without comments like yours adding to their struggle.

Morna, shame on me ? For what ? My blog is not a battlefield. Nadia goes too far ? But, your comment is going clearly too far. It is a blog about Amal and not about the Kardashians/Jenner …. and already said “respect” is the most important thing.

As a noob to posting here, having read with interest the views here for a while, does moderation usually take some time?

I tried to make a first comment and it doesn’t seem to have posted. I don’t think it went anywhere near “too far” in any way as it was merely a factual based (and sourced) post further informing on a comment made by ESR.

I’ve been reluctant to join in until now although finding the discourse worth reading. I’m just unsure as to why a comment might take so long to post when it was in no way abusive or controversial in content?

Hopefully it will appear soon. I appreciate the wide ranging discussion here.

Anna, YOU are the one insulting transgender, by stating that Bruce Jenner is a transgender. Are you out of your mind by assuming he is a transgender? That is a insult for the REAl transgender!! Bruce Jenner is just a lost man, dysfunctional, fame and spolight seeker. I have respect for REAl transgenders who are born this way, not someone like him, who spent his entire life being a man, marrying women, having kids with them and now, for some huge sumes of money, decided to get some bright light on him. But i guess you must be a huge supporter of the Kardashian show and lifestyle heh? And i bet you find all about them very normal, very functional and worthy of your approval. I bet you will follow the new Bruce Jenner reality show too! Well, i do not and must not be censured or shamed by my desire to be sane.

Nati must know that we are different kinds of commentators, and, in respect for her blog, i will stop responding on this subject, as it is not the place for that. This is a blog about Amal Clooney’s News and Style and i love it Nati, thank you for all your hard work! Count on me to always respect and appreciate your effort with this blog 🙂

I dont know the blog, but thanks I will check it out! I just made myself a ‘Chanel’ style wool suit for work which is a lot like the cream one Amal wore in Greece. It looks great, but certainly not worth the ridiculous amount she may have paid for it! And she probably won’t wear it again for ages if at all, which makes my heart break because my lovingly handmade one will no doubt be worn for years…

In addition to the above (and I’m just guessing/speculating here), I have a hunch that Amal is probably highly respected & appreciated by her colleagues & the firm that they give her a lot of flexibility and room to move. Not to mention, that in this modern world, much of her job could involve Skype, FaceTime, e-mails, texts, telephone calls, faxes. She can do a lot without being present, and when necessary—fly on a whim wherever she needs/wants to be. She’s trying to balance it all; new marriage, life in the USA & Europe, professional career—and so far it seems to be working. Their combined lifestyle affords them this flexibility. 🙂

She is self-employed. She doesn’t need her chambers to give her flexibility. She is entirely responsible for her own case load and her own billing. She could do barely no work at all if that’s what she wanted and her chambers wouldn’t care in the least – more work for the others. So yes, she has flexibility, but the flexiblity is something that ALL barristers have. Of course nobody chooses to work so little – the problem is if you are still junior and don’t work much, you struggle to build up your reputation and practice. Which is why barristers are so hard working, they are in effect running individual businesses.

I have been reading this blog on and off for a while. I find the career aspects of Amal Clooney’s new media presence far more interesting than the fashion angle; although in style terms she does appear to have adopted the ‘if it has a name, is current or next season, and retails at an outrageous price, it must be style’ approach. Personally, I don’t consider that to show much discernment or a truly noteworthy eye for real style but it’s her choice.

In terms of her career, and having knowledge of the field myself, ESR has been providing by far the most accurate insight and perspective on the matter.

It is a nonsense to suggest that Amal Clooney has earned such exceptional regard in her field, at this stage, to be so readily afforded the latitudes by colleagues and clients which others seem keen to suggest in order to maintain the myth of her as a key leading practitioner in the Law; indeed, even in her own discreet area – Human Rights and International Law.

Not to diminish some achievement but it’s not significantly beyond run of the mill in real terms and, given her advancing age, not anywhere near as exceptional as has been indicated by media since her marriage.

Her status designation in UK Law is that of Junior Junior barrister (*not in Silk) as verified by her recent inclusion to C Panel membership UK Attorney General International Law Advice Panels. There are hundreds of UK based solicitors and barristers (excluding QCs) serving terms on these panels – all with skill and experience in Amal Clooney’s specific area of Law.

She applied to join, and was deemed eligible, for inclusion at C Panel level – Junior Junior; B Panel denotes Middle Junior and A Panel denotes Senior Junior by way of acknowledged work experience and status amongst peer group.

/see her Doughty Street listing for confirmation of her C Panel inclusion (pg3)

ESR is correct to attempt to debunk misrepresentation of Amal Clooney’s earned status, however such misrepresentation has been allowed to gain traction as common currency in the minds of the public and Clooney fanbase. To not do so is to give further credit to the inaccuracies and undermines the hard earned status of all others achieving in her field.

Being the most known name (due to marriage) does not automatically equate to being a leading name. This is a case in point.

News to me about the “C” panel, but further evidences the point. I’m not sure she has even been listed in Chambers and Partners yet.

It is not my wish – nor do I assume is it yours, Oxred – to in any way derogate from AC’s achievements. Merely to contextualise them as largely unremarkable within the profession. I am glad to not be the only one to think so.

ESR, i have a question, if you find the time to answer 🙂 So, with this kind of independence, how do barristers get paid, really? Do they get paid only if they conclude a case somehow? Do they get paid by the hour when they do advising and research? Like for Amal’s works she has done so far, the cases we have seen, how could she got paid for that? Is it by the hour, by assignment? How?

And, do you feel that her firm could dismiss her participation if she spends too much time out, without contributing to the firm? I read that a spot on such well established firm is very wanted by many barristers, to have their names attached to such firms, so i wonder how long they will keep Amal’s name and profile attached, if she takes long leaves?

Sorry, that is a lot of questions hahaha Thank you much if you find time to answer, i will undersatnd if you don’t though, but there is nobody else here that could answer that so well, i think heheh

Nadia, billing is usually by an hourly rate. You just keep a log and invoice periodically or at the end. In commercial work you get paid fairly soon, in legal aid work it can take over a year to get paid.

Chambers want good people who will attract a loyal clientelle because this is good for Chambers as a whole. So if someone is good, they will bring in work which will grow Chambers. Conversely, if someone is not pulling their weight – ie they are taking more work than they are bringing in – they can be seen as a drain. I doubt Doughty Street are much concerned about how much Amal is working or what she is working on, because from now on she will have her pick of cases. She will not be taking cases from the average person that the Clerk sends through, and no doubt her presence at Chambers has led to more instructions overall. So they are probably pleased.

ESR, thank you for replying:) I had no idea how their work system was. My concern was that, because her name also represents so much directly the reputation of her firm, i feel that she must be attached soon to a winner case in order to keep her firm’s credibility in check, since new clients will focus on results after all been said and done, and i am sure, there are cases that would not benefit from all the publicity Amal brings in.

ESR and OxRed, I understand that you want to clarify Amal’s position in the legal world because you have the knowledge about the workings of British legal professions, But in my opinion, it is only normal that the outside world (led by the media) has this view of Amal being a super talented career woman. I can think of some reasons for that: 1) The term barrister alone, which a lot people probably hadn’t heard of, is fancy in itself and has prestige. 2) The fact that she practices law is inspiring to a lot of people. No one is going to look up what she actually contributed to the cases. Everyone just thinks, well, these are high profile cases that she’s involved in, so she must be really good (which she probably is). Few people know how this all works.
I just wanted to point this out but I understand that you might want to explain this to everyone and it is interesting because I don’t know anything about the British system. In my country we don’t have this distinction between a sollicitor and a barrister or a junior and a senior/silk.

This isn’t just to Amal but to all of you ladies here: seriously, stop wearing those sky-high heels all the time. Amal was uncharacteristically wearing flats here with her suede dress, a nice change. Notice she was wearing high heels even when walking GC’s dog in Manhattan. You have no idea how those shoes ruin your health. It’s like the boiling frog – when you realize you’re in trouble it’s too late to fix it. I can see that happening to Amal and to many other women friends around me. It’s not going to be pretty or glamorous or stylish I assure you.

Minnow, Amal is wearing heels in all of these photos (including the suede dress). In flats, she is 3-4 inches shorter than George. On another site, it was noted that she wore the wedge sandals with the tassels at the ankle (which were also paired with the crocheted dress in Shanghai).

My one and only point is and was that it would be great to see more non-judgmental, measured commentary. Less belittling. I would certainly be interested in discussion about the substantive issues in particular cases that she has been or is involved with. The cases themselves raise interesting and very important issues both in terms of public and international law and politically. Such discussion is however a very different thing than commentary on the significance of her role as counsel in any particular case.

Oh dear. There was another point 🙂 I believe that anonymity brings with it more not fewer obligations. When one speaks anonymously there is absolutely no way to assess the factual underpinnings of a position taken or in fact anything else about the commentary, the commentator or the statement.

Ballycroy. Logical flaw in the latter half of that. When an individual writes anonymously, the reader must work a little harder as they cannot take anything said on ‘authority’. Anonymity pushes the reader to consider the sources and reasoning cited in order to assess the reliability of the statement. I imagine the burden must be an onerous one for the reader, and is therefore easily discharged by those predisposed to disagree with it.

Thank you, ESR. It’s quite interesting! I did not realize that Amal was self-employed. Your explanation clarifies what appears to be ‘flexibility’. Actually, it’s even better than I thought now, she really is able to ‘control’ her own time, cases, and more. It makes sense now to me.

Just curious, are there any attorneys/barristers on this blog? Or anyone in the legal system on this blog? I am enjoying the explanations and comments related to Amal’s work. Fashion, Career, Code of Ethics…it’s all on this blog! Thanks! It’s appealing the number of working women, career oriented women that are on this blog. 🙂

Thank you Azzurra. This is what I was exactly intrigued about. I could tell by the responses (very intelligent & thought-provoking) that there must have been barristers, attorneys, legal employers, etcetera, who are from perhaps different countries. Many on this blog, gave a thorough explanation of how things work in the legal system. I could tell by the different protocol among each, that different countries were represented here. Such as yourself, an attorney from Italy. Much respect to all who represent this fine profession. 🙂

Please let’s turn back to fashion.
Maybe you open a new blog focussed on barristers etc.

I am a politically and ecologically interested person with social aims and I definitely don’t feel ashamed because of my interest in fashion, art etc.

Life may be hard and cruel, here in this blog I would like to relax.

I wondered but in Instyle/Germany Amal
Clooney was almost ignored.
But in June they finally wrote “Amal Clooney the best. … why did’nt we not mention her earlier ..”
This mistake is a disqualification for a style magazine.
I will stop buying it.

Please Nati go on with you great and time consuming work concerning this blog. You have so many fans.
I hope you can ignore some comments I really feel ashamed of.
Sorry, I should polish my English, hope you understand me.
Have a nice day.

We will see. I stopped to buy inStyle years ago. To many advertisment pages, red carpets looks and expensive clothes. We need real looks for the office, the evening, the week-end. Thank you Samba for your support 😉

Samba – just ignore posts you think aren’t relaxing enough for you. That way everyone can be happy, because if we only wrote about fashion here I’d be the first to leave. I can read about fashion anywhere, it is ubiquitous. Though all kudos to Nati, love the style side of this blog!

I enjoy reading other comments people offer in terms of Amal, understanding her profession..anything connected to her. But when the discussion veers away to things totally unrelated, I would like to see Nati not post them, along with the ones that name call. Those two types of posts clog up and diminish the quality of this blog.

We’ve had a dry spell here except for the tabloid lies about A&G….hopefully she will be spotted soon in something else we can discuss!